ThanksUSA

Treasure Hunt Five

In less than three weeks, winners will be chosen for Phase I, chapters 1 and 2. All classroom/youth groups who successfully complete either chapter will be eligible to win the prize for that chapter…a $1000 gift certificate to use towards school supplies. Don’t believe that real people win? Meet last year’s winners right here.

This blog is designed to help TH5 players through the hunt from start to finish. Every week will be devoted to solving a clue in TH5. This week, let’s look at a geography question from chapter 2, Nebraska:

7. What town is 100 degrees west of Greenwich and also intersects the routes of the transcontinental railroad, Oregon Trail, Pony Express and Lincoln Highway?

Let’s first determine what is meant by 100 degrees west of Greenwich by typing it into a search engine:

100 degrees west of Greenwich

You will learn that this is referring to 100 degrees longitude, which actually marks the 100th Meridian. In the United States, the 100th Meridian serves as the approximate boundary between east and west. The transcontinental railroad, Oregon Trail, Pony Express and Lincoln Highway, were all very important routes to early settlers and westward explorers. With so much information, we should be able to find our answer by searching just a few keywords:

100th Meridian + Nebraska

I’m sure you’ll find the name of the city, but don’t forget to locate it within the word search. This question can serve as a great introduction for students learning about latitude/longitude and time zones. Younger students can be introduced to the Prime and 100th Meridians, while older students can explore the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, UK, and learn about the geological surveys that took place in the United States to establish the 100th Meridian.

If you are a teacher or parent who uses the Treasure Hunt to inspire your students and children, we’d love to hear about it. You can post a comment to the blog, visit our Facebook Fan Page, or send me a direct email at sherrykoch@thanksusa.org. If you are playing as a classroom or youth group, please remind students that they can also register to play as individuals. Thank you for participating in TH5 and Good Luck!